Write/read head supporting mechanism including a microactuator and a slider connected to a ground region of a suspension

ABSTRACT

A write/read head supporting mechanism including a slider having an electromagnetic transducer element or an optical module, a suspension for supporting the slider and including a ground region, and a microactuator disposed between the slider and the suspension for displacing said slider. Further, at least a part of the microactuator includes an electrically conductive region, and the ground region of the suspension is electrically connected to the slider by the electrically conductive region of the microactuator, such that the slider is grounded so as to prevent an electrostatic breakdown of the electromagnetic transducer element or the optical module.

This is a continuation of PCT/JP99/05,837 filed Oct. 22, 1999.

ART FIELD

The present invention relates to a write/read head supporting mechanismfor write/read systems such as hard disk drives (hereinafter HDDs forshort) or optical disk drives, and a write/read system comprising such awrite/read head supporting mechanism.

BACKGROUND ART

A prior art magnetic head supporting mechanism used with HDDs isgenerally built up of a slider having an electromagnetic transducerelement, a suspension for supporting the slider, and an interconnectingpattern connected to the electromagnetic transducer element.

The electromagnetic transducer element comprises a magnetic pole andcoil for converting electric signals to magnetic signals, and viceversa, a magnetoresistance effect element for transforming magneticsignals to voltage signals, and so on, each being fabricated bythin-film techniques, assembly techniques, etc. The slider is formed ofnon-magnetic ceramics such as Al₂O₃—TiC or CaTiO₃ or a magnetic materialsuch as ferrite, and has a generally cuboidal shape. The surface (airbearing surface) of the slider opposite to a disk medium is configuredinto a shape suitable for generating pressure to fly the slider over thedisk medium at a small spacing. The suspension for supporting the slideris formed by bending, punching or otherwise processing a resilientstainless sheet.

When the slider is used in actual applications, static electricity isgenerated at the slider. This static electricity is generated due to asliding movement between the flying surface of the slider and thesurface of a disk medium at contact start stop (CSS), contact of theflying surface of the slider with the surface of the disk medium whichis caused by a very small amount of flying of the slider with respect tothe surface of the disk medium rotating at high speed, friction betweenthe slider and the air, etc.

Static electricity, when generated at the slider, often gives rise to anelectrostatic breakdown of the electromagnetic transducer element. Toavoid this, most magnetic heads have sliders connected to a ground(e.g., JP-A's 2-61810, 2-244419 and 8-111015). The aforesaid JP-A2-61810 discloses a thin-film magnetic head wherein a conductorelectrically connected to a magnetic core mounted on a slider is bondedto a gimbal part of a suspension at an earth potential by means of anelectrically conductive adhesive agent. The aforesaid JP-A 2-244419discloses that the side of a slider and a suspension are bonded togetherby means of an electrically conductive adhesive agent. The aforesaidJP-A 8-111015 discloses a magnetic head system wherein a groundelectrode is mounted on a flexible wiring substrate provided on asuspension, and then electrically connected to a slider.

On the other hand, an HDD is increasingly required to be downsized withever-higher recording density and, hence, have ever-higher track densityand ever-narrower track width. To improve tracking precision in ahigh-density recording HDD, it is effective to provide the magnetic headwith an actuator for effecting a micro-displacement of theelectromagnetic transducer element or slider with respect to thesuspension. Such an actuator, for instance, is disclosed in JP-A's6-259905, 6-309822 and 8-180623.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In a magnetic head having an actuator, a slider is displaced relativelyto a suspension when the slider is driven by the actuator. There is thusa possibility that an electrical wire connecting the suspension side tothe slider side may be detrimental to this displacement.

However, the aforesaid publications, each disclosing the provision of anactuator, say nothing about the connection of the slider to a ground.Accordingly or as a matter of course, the publications disclose nothingabout the means for connecting the slider to a ground without detrimentto the displacement capability of the actuator when it is provided.

An object of the invention is to provide a write/read head supportingmechanism for a magnetic disk system or optical disk system having anactuator for effecting a micro-displacement of an electromagnetictransducer element or slider, wherein any electrostatic breakdown of theelectromagnetic transducer element or optical module is preventedwithout detriment to the displacement capability of the actuator.

Such an object is achievable by the following constructions.

(1) A write/read head supporting mechanism comprising a slider providedwith an electromagnetic transducer element or an optical module, and asuspension, wherein said slider is supported on said suspension by wayof an actuator for displacing said slider, and

a ground region that said suspension has is electrically connected tosaid slider by means of an electrical connecting member that is movableand/or deformable in a displacement direction of said slider by saidactuator.

(2) The write/read head supporting mechanism according to (1) above,wherein said suspension is made up of an electrically conductivematerial, and said suspension itself is utilized as said ground region.

(3) The write/read head supporting mechanism according to (1) above,wherein said suspension is provided on a surface thereof with agrounding electrode as said ground region.

(4) A write/read head supporting mechanism comprising a slider providedwith an electromagnetic transducer element or an optical module, and asuspension, wherein said slider is supported on said suspension by wayof an actuator for displacing said slider, and

at least a part of said actuator is provided with an electricallyconductive region, by way of which a ground region that said suspensionhas is electrically connected to aid slider.

(5) The write/read head supporting mechanism according to (4) above,wherein a ground electrode used to drive said actuator is utilized assaid electrically conductive region.

(6) A write/read head supporting mechanism comprising a slider providedwith an electromagnetic transducer element or an optical module, and asuspension, wherein said slider is supported on said suspension by wayof an actuator for displacing said slider, and which comprises aninterconnecting pattern including a wire for electrical connection tosaid electromagnetic transducer element or said optical module and agrounding wire for electrical connection to said slider, saidinterconnecting pattern comprising a close-contact wire in close contactwith said suspension and a floating wire that extends away from saidsuspension to said slider and is movable and/or deformable in adisplacement direction of said slider by said actuator.

(7) A write/read head supporting mechanism comprising a slider providedwith an electromagnetic transducer element or an optical module, and asuspension, wherein said slider is supported on said suspension by wayof an actuator for displacing said slider,

a leading end portion of said suspension comprises a flexible regionthat is curved or bent toward a slider side and movable and/ordeformable in a displacement direction of said slider by said actuator,and

an interconnecting pattern is in close contact with a surface of saidflexible region, said interconnecting pattern comprising a wire forelectrical connection to said electromagnetic transducer element or saidoptical module and a grounding wire for electrical connection to saidslider.

(8) The write/read head supporting mechanism according to (6) or (7)above, wherein said suspension is made up of an electrically conductivematerial, and said grounding wire led out of said interconnectingpattern is electrically connected to said suspension.

(9) A write/read system comprising a write/read head supportingmechanism as recited in any one of (1) to (8) above.

BRIEF EXPLANATION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view illustrative of one exemplary arrangement of themagnetic head according to the first aspect of the invention, whereinthe slider is mounted on the suspension by way of the actuator.

FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrative of another exemplary arrangement ofthe magnetic head according to the first aspect, wherein the slider ismounted on the surface of the suspension opposite to the medium by wayof the actuator.

FIG. 3 is a side view illustrative of yet another exemplary arrangementof the magnetic head according to the first aspect, wherein the slideris mounted on the suspension by way of the actuator.

FIG. 4 is a side view illustrative of one exemplary arrangement of themagnetic head according to the second aspect of the invention, whereinthe slider is mounted on the suspension by way of the actuator.

FIG. 5 is a side view illustrative of another exemplary arrangement ofthe magnetic head according to the second aspect, wherein the slider ismounted on the suspension by way of the actuator.

FIG. 6 is a side view illustrative of yet another exemplary arrangementof the magnetic head according to the second aspect, wherein the slideris mounted on the suspension by way of the actuator.

FIG. 7 is a plan view illustrative of one exemplary arrangement of themagnetic head according to the third aspect of the invention, whereinthe slider is mounted on the surface of the suspension opposite to themedium by way of the actuator.

FIG. 8 is a plane view illustrative of another exemplary arrangement ofthe magnetic head according to the third aspect, wherein the slider ismounted on the surface of the suspension opposite to the medium by wayof the actuator.

FIG. 9 is a plan view illustrative of yet another exemplary arrangementof the magnetic head according to the third aspect, wherein the slideris mounted on the surface of the suspension opposite to the medium byway of the actuator.

FIG. 10 is a plan view illustrative of a further exemplary arrangementof the magnetic head according to the third aspect, wherein the slideris mounted on the surface of the suspension opposite to the medium byway of the actuator.

FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view illustrative of one exemplaryarrangement of the magnetic head supporting mechanism.

BEST MODE OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The write/read head supporting mechanism according to the inventioncomprises a slider provided with an electromagnetic transducer elementor an optical module, and a suspension on which the slider is mountedwhile an actuator for displacing the slider is located between them. Thepresent invention will now be explained with reference to a magnetichead with an electromagnetic transducer element mounted on a slider.

First of all, typical constructions of the suspension, actuator andslider are explained.

FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of one exemplary arrangement ofthe magnetic head supporting mechanism including an actuator. Thismagnetic head supporting mechanism is built up of a slider 2 providedwith an electromagnetic transducer element 1 and a suspension 3 forsupporting the slider 2, with an actuator 4 located between the slider 2and the suspension 3.

The actuator 4 is provided to effect a micro-displacement of the slider2 with respect to the suspension 3, and is fixed as by bonding to agimbal block 3a located at an end portion of the suspension 3. Thegimbal block 3a is formed by providing grooves in the suspension memberby etching, punching or the like for the purpose of allowing the sliderto follow a disk medium surface. It is here noted that the magnetic headis provided with a main actuator (a VCM or the like) for driving thewhole of the suspension.

The actuator 4 comprises a fixed part 43 and a movable part 44, andfurther includes two rod-like displacement generating means 41 and 41.Each or the displacement generating means 41 is provided with at leastone piezoelectric or electrostrictive material layer having electrodelayers on both sides, and constructed such that it elongates andcontracts upon the application of voltage on the electrode layers. Thepiezoelectric or electrostrictive material layer is formed of apiezoelectric or electrostrictive material that elongates and contractsby inverse piezoelectric effect or electrostrictive effect. One end ofthe displacement generating means 41 is coupled to the suspension viathe fixed part 43, and the other end of the displacement generatingmeans 41 is coupled to the slider via the movable part 44. Upon theelongation and contraction of the displacement generating means 41, theslider is so displaced that the electromagnetic transducer element isdisplaced circularly. This in turn causes the electromagnetic transducerelement to cross over recording tracks on a disk medium.

When the piezoelectric or electrostrictive material layer sandwichedbetween the electrode layers in the displacement generating means 41 ofthe actuator 4 is constructed of a so-called piezoelectric material suchas PZT, the piezoelectric or electrostrictive material layer is usuallysubjected to a polarizing treatment so as to improve its displacementcapability. The direction of polarization by this polarization treatmentis a thickness-wise direction of the actuator. When the direction of anelectric field upon the application of voltage on the electrode layersis in alignment with the direction of polarization, the piezoelectric orelectrostrictive material layer between both electrode layers elongatesin its thickness-wise direction (piezoelectric longitudinal effect), andcontracts in its plane direction (piezoelectric transverse effect). Whenthe direction of the electric field is reverse to the direction ofpolarization, on the other hand, the piezoelectric or electrostrictivematerial layer contracts in its thickness-wise direction (piezoelectriclongitudinal effect), and elongates in its plane direction(piezoelectric transverse effect). When contraction-inducing voltage isapplied alternately on one displacement generating means and anotherdisplacement generating means, the length ratio between one displacementgenerating means and another displacement generating means changes sothat both displacement generating means deflect in the same direction inthe plane of the actuator. By this deflection, the movable part 44 rollsand pitches with respect to the fixed part 43 in a direction indicatedby arrows in FIG. 11, with the center of the roll-and-pitch motiondefined by the position of the movable part 44 in the absence ofvoltage. This roll-and-pitch motion allows the movable part 44 todisplace circularly in a direction substantially perpendicular to thedirection of elongation and contraction of the displacement generatingmeans 41, with the direction of the roll-and-pitch motion lying withinthe plane of the actuator. Thus, the electromagnetic transducer element,too, rolls and pitches in a circular orbit. At this time, there is nofear of attenuation of polarization because the direction of voltage isin alignment with that of polarization. It is noted that even when boththe displacement generating means are elongated by voltage appliedalternately thereon, similar roll-and-pitch motion occurs.

In the illustrated embodiment, voltages may be simultaneously applied onboth displacement generating means in such a manner that theirdisplacements are reverse to each other. In other words, alternatingvoltages may be simultaneously applied on both the displacementgenerating means in such a manner that one elongates while anothercontracts, and vice versa. At this time, the center of theroll-and-pitch motion of the movable part 44 is defined by the positionof the movable part 44 in the absence of voltage. Assuming here that thesame driving voltage is used, the amplitude of the roll-and-pitch motionis about twice as large as that in the case of the alternate applicationof voltage. On one side of the roll-and-pitch motion in this case,however, the displacement generating means is so elongated that thedirection of the driving voltage is reverse to the direction ofpolarization. For this reason, the polarization of the piezoelectric orelectrostrictive material layer may possibly attenuate at a high appliedvoltage or upon the continued application of voltage. It is thusrequired that the driving voltage be obtained by applying a constantdirect current bias voltage in the same direction as that ofpolarization and superposing the aforesaid alternating voltage on thebias voltage, thereby foreclosing the possibility that the direction ofdriving voltage may be reverse to the direction of polarization. Thecenter of the roll-and-pitch motion in this case is defined by theposition of the displacement generating means with the bias voltagealone applied thereon.

The illustrated actuator has a structure in which the displacementgenerating means 41, and fixed and movable parts 43 and 44 are formed asan integrated single piece by holing and notching a sheet-like member ofpiezoelectric or electrostrictive material with electrode layers formedat given sites. It is thus possible to increase the rigidity anddimensional accuracy of the actuator, with no fear of assembly errors.In addition, since any adhesive is not used for actuator fabrication, itis highly unlikely that any adhesive layer is deposited at the positionof the actuator where stresses are induced by the deformation of thedisplacement generating means. Stated otherwise, problems such astransmission losses due to the adhesive layer and changes-with-time ofadhesion strength are absolutely unlikely to come up.

By the “piezoelectric or electrostrictive material” used herein is meanta material capable of elongating or contracting due to the inversepiezoelectric effect or electrostrictive effect. Any desiredpiezoelectric or electrostrictive material may be used provided that itcan be applied to the displacement generating means of the actuator. Byreason of high rigidity, however, it is usually preferable to useceramic piezoelectric or electrostrictive materials such as PZT [Pb(Zr,Ti)O₃], PT (PbTiO₃), PLZT [(Pb, La)(Zr, Ti)O₃], and barium titanate(BaTiO₃). The actuator, when it is made up of ceramic piezoelectric orelectrostrictive materials, may easily be fabricated using thick-filmtechniques such as a sheet-making or printing process. It is noted thatthe actuator may also be fabricated by thin-film techniques. Thepiezoelectric or electrostrictive material, when it has acrystallographic structure, may be of either a polycrystalline structureor a monocrystalline structure.

No special limitation is imposed on how to form the electrode layers; anappropriate selection may be made from various processes such asprinting, firing, sputtering, and evaporation of conductive paste whilehow to form the piezoelectric or electrostrictive material layer istaken into account.

An actuator may have any structure in which at least one piezoelectricor electrostrictive material layer, having electrode layers on bothsides, exists at the displacement generating means. However, it ispreferable to use a multi-layer structure wherein two or more suchpiezoelectric or electrostrictive material layers are stacked one uponanother. The amount of elongation and contraction of the piezoelectricor electrostrictive material layer is proportional to electric fieldintensity. However, the aforesaid multilayer structure makes it possibleto make the piezoelectric or electrostrictive material layer so thinthat the required electric field intensity can be obtained at a lowvoltage, and so the driving voltage can be lowered. At the same drivingvoltage as that used with a single layer structure, the amount ofelongation and contraction can become much larger. The thickness of thepiezoelectric or electrostrictive material layer is not critical, and somay be determined depending on various conditions such as drivingvoltage, the required amount of elongation and contraction, and ease offabrication. However, a thickness of about 5 μm to about 50 μm isusually preferred in the practice of the invention. Similarly, the upperlimit to the number of piezoelectric or electrostrictive material layersstacked one upon another is not critical, and so may be determined insuch a manner that displacement generating means having a desiredthickness are obtainable. It is noted that a covering piezoelectric orelectrostrictive material layer is usually provided on the outermostelectrode layer.

The slider 2 is constructed of ceramics having a relatively low electricresistance, e.g., Al₂O₃—TiC or Mn—Zn ferrite. The slider 2 is providedon one side with a magnetic core or coil by way of an insulating layerto form the electromagnetic transducer element 1.

Although not illustrated, the suspension 3 is provided on its surfacewith an interconnecting pattern for driving the actuator 4 and aninterconnecting pattern to be connected to the electromagnetictransducer element 1 as occasion may be. The suspension 3 may also beprovided on its surface with a head driving IC chip (a read/write IC).If a signal processing IC is mounted on the suspension, it is thenpossible to reduce the length of the interconnecting pattern from theelectromagnetic transducer element to the signal processing IC, so thatthe signal frequency can be made high due to a decrease in inducingcomponents.

While the present invention is suitable for cases where the actuator ofthe integral structure shown in FIG. 11 is used, it is understood thatthe present invention may also be used for cases where various actuatorshaving assembly structures employing piezoelectric elements, andactuators making use of electrostatic force, and electromagnetic forceare used.

The suspension 3 is generally formed of a resilient metal material suchas stainless steel; however, it is acceptable to construct thesuspension 3 of an insulating material such as resins. For theinterconnecting pattern, on the other hand, a part thereof has a generalstructure wherein a resin-coated conductor wire is brought in closecontact with the surface of the suspension. No special limitation isimposed on how to form the interconnecting pattern having such astructure; however, it is preferable to make use of a process wherein aninsulating resin film is formed on the surface of the suspension 3 and aconductor wire is formed on the resin film followed by forming anotherresin film thereon as a protective film, and a process wherein aninterconnecting film (a flexible wiring substrate) having a multilayerstructure comprising such a resin film and a conductor wire is bonded tothe suspension 3.

In the magnetic head supporting mechanism constructed as explained aboveaccording to the present invention, the slider is grounded so as toprevent an electrostatic breakdown of the electromagnetic transducerelement. How the slider is grounded according to the present inventionis now explained specifically.

According to the first aspect of the invention, a ground region of thesuspension is electrically connected to the slider by way of anelectrical connecting member movable and/or deformable in thedisplacement direction of the slider by the actuator.

One exemplary arrangement of the first aspect of the invention is shownin FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a side view illustrative of a slider 2 attached toa suspension 3 by way of an actuator 4. Adhesive agents 7a are used tobond a fixed part 43 of the actuator 4 to the suspension 3 and a movablepart 44 of the actuator 4 to the slider 2. The suspension 3 is made upof an electrically conductive material such as a metal, and kept at aground potential. Thus, the suspension 3 itself provides the aforesaidground region. The slider 2 and suspension 3 are electrically connectedtogether by means of a highly flexible lead 8, so that staticelectricity generated at the slider 2 can flow to the suspension 3through the lead 8. It is here noted that the lead 8 is bonded to theslider 2 and suspension 3, using electrically conductive adhesive agents7 b and 7 b, respectively.

Another exemplary arrangement of the first aspect of the invention isshown in FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a plan view of a slider 2 attached to asuspension 3 by way of an actuator 4, as viewed from the side of thesuspension 3 opposite to a medium. As depicted in FIG. 2, the suspension3 is provided on its surface with a grounding wire 90, one end of whichis connected with a grounding electrode 91 defining the aforesaid groundregion. The other end of the grounding wire 90 is connected to anelectrical conductor at a ground potential (an HDD package or the like).The grounding electrode 91 and slider 2 are electrically connectedtogether by means of a highly flexible lead 8; that is, the slider 2 isgrounded. It is here noted that the lead 8 is bonded to the slider 2 andgrounding electrode 91, using electrically conductive adhesive agents 7b and 7 b, respectively. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 52 stands for anactuator driving wire assembly comprising two signal wires and onegrounding wire and located in close contact with the surface of thesuspension 3. Reference numeral 51 represents signal wires forelectrical connection to an electromagnetic transducer element. Thesignal wires extend from the back side of the suspension 3, and areturned back around the leading end of the suspension 3, terminating atconnections to a terminal electrode group in the electromagnetictransducer element provided on the slider 2.

According to the arrangements of FIGS. 1 and 2 where the lead 8 used isof high flexibility, the actuator 4 can be undisturbedly displaced uponthe slider 2 grounded. In addition, the site of the lead 8 to be bondedto the slider 2 can be relatively freely selected. According to thearrangement shown in FIG. 2, the slider 2 can be grounded even when thesuspension 3 is made up of an insulating material.

FIG. 3 is illustrative of yet another arrangement of the first aspect ofthe invention. In FIG. 1, the actuator 4 is located on the back surfaceof the slider 2, i.e., the surface of the slider 2 opposite to thesuspension 3. In FIG. 3, however, the actuator 4 is located on the sideof the slider 2 so as to keep low the whole height of the arrangement.Otherwise, the arrangement of FIG. 3 is the same as that of FIG. 1. Inall aspects encompassed in the present invention inclusive of the firstaspect, the slider is positioned with respect to the actuator as shownin either one of FIGS. 1 and 3.

According to the second aspect of the invention, at least a part of theactuator is provided with an electrically conductive region, by way ofwhich the ground region of the suspension is electrically connected tothe slider.

One exemplary arrangement of the second aspect of the invention is shownin FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a side view illustrative of a slider 2 attached toa suspension 3 by way of an actuator 4. The suspension 3 is made up ofan electrically conductive material such as a metal, and kept at aground potential. The actuator is provided on its surface with agrounding conductor 9 in the form of the aforesaid conductive region insuch a way that a fixed part 43 is connected to a movable part 44. Usingelectrically conductive adhesive agents 7 b and 7 b, respectively, thefixed part 43 of the actuator 4 is bonded to the suspension 3 and themovable part 44 of the actuator 4 is bonded to the slider 2. Theseadhesive agents 7 b and 7 b cover one end and the other end of theaforesaid grounding conductor 9. Thus, the slider 2 is grounded.

Although depending on the type of the actuator used, it is noted thatthe whole or a surface portion of the actuator may be made up of anelectrically conductive material. In this case, the whole or surfaceportion of the actuator may be utilized as the aforesaid conductiveregion to connect the slider to a ground.

Another exemplary arrangement of the second aspect of the invention isshown in FIG. 5. An actuator 4 shown in FIG. 5 is such a multilayerpiezoelectric actuator as mentioned above. As already explained, themultilayer piezoelectric actuator has a structure wherein apiezoelectric or electrostrictive material layer is sandwiched between apair of electrode layers. In the arrangement of FIG. 5, a groundelectrode (a grounding conductor 9 shown in FIG. 5) that is one of thepair of electrode layers is utilized as the aforesaid conductive regionto connect a slider 2 to a ground. More illustratively, both ends of thegrounding conductor 9 are bared on the side of the actuator 4. Then,electrically conductive adhesive agents 7 b and 7 b are respectivelyused to connect one end of the conductor 9 electrically to thesuspension 3 and the other end electrically to the slider 2, therebyconnecting the slider 2 to a ground. Otherwise, the arrangement of FIG.5 is the same as that of FIG. 4.

According to the arrangements shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the electricallyconductive adhesive agents are used instead of a conventional adhesiveagent when the actuator 4 is bonded to the suspension 3 and slider 2,respectively. When the actuator 4 is fabricated, only the formation orbaring of the grounding conductor 9 is needed to connect the slider 2 toa ground. There is thus no detriment to the displacement capability ofthe actuator 4 at all upon the slider 2 connected to a ground. Inaddition, the number of steps needed for connecting the slider 2 to aground can be reduced.

In the arrangements of FIGS. 4 and 5, only the electrically conductiveadhesive agent is utilized. In some cases, however, the electricallyconductive adhesive agent is inferior in adhesion to an ordinaryadhesive agent. This is because the conductive adhesive agent generallycomprises an adhesive resin in which an electrically conductive materialsuch as silver foils or carbon powders is dispersed. If required, it isthus acceptable to use the conductive adhesive agent in combination withsuch an ordinary adhesive agent.

Yet another exemplary arrangement of the second aspect of the inventionis shown in FIG. 6. As shown, there is provided an interconnectingpattern comprising a flexible wiring substrate including a signal wirefor electrical connection to an electromagnetic transducer element on aslider 2. This interconnecting pattern is constructed of a close-contactwire 5A in close contact with the surface of a suspension 3 and afloating wire 5B extending away from the suspension 3 to the slider 2.It is here noted that an actuator driving wire is not shown.

The interconnecting pattern comprising close-contact wire 5A andfloating wire 5B is provided by forming the close-contact wirecomprising a flexible wiring substrate on the surface of the suspension3 opposite to a medium and then removing a leading end portion of thesuspension 3, thereby placing a part of the close-contact wire in afloating state. In the illustrated arrangement, a terminal electrodegroup for electrical connection to the electromagnetic transducerelement is previously formed on the leading end portion of thesuspension 3. Then, a part of the leading end portion of the suspension3 is removed in such a way that the vicinity of the terminal electrodegroup is left as a terminal electrode sheet 32. Subsequently, thefloating wire 5B is curved or bent toward the side of the slider 2 sothat one surface of the terminal electrode sheet 32 is bonded to theslider 2 and the other surface is bonded to the actuator 4 while theaforesaid terminal electrode sheet is connected to a terminal electrodegroup on the slider 2. Removal of a part of the suspension 3, forinstance, may be achieved by punching or wet etching.

The arrangement of FIG. 6 is similar to that of FIG. 5 in that thegrounding conductor 9 of the actuator 4 is utilized as the aforesaidconductive region to connect the slider 2 to a ground. On the side ofthe movable part 44 of the actuator 4 in the arrangement of FIG. 6,however, the grounding conductor 9 is connected to one surface of theterminal electrode sheet 32 by means of an electrically conductiveadhesive agent 7 b, and the slider 2 is connected to the other surfaceof the terminal electrode sheet 32 by means of an electricallyconductive adhesive agent 7 b. The terminal electrode sheet 32 is formedof the same conductive material as that of the suspension 3, so that theslider 2 can be electrically connected to the suspension 3.

In the arrangements of FIGS. 5 and 6, the conductive suspension 3 andgrounding conductor 9 are connected together by means of the conductiveadhesive agents 7 b and 7 b, so that the slider 2 can be connected to aground by way of them. Alternatively, the grounding conductor 9 may beconnected with a grounding wire which is in turn extended to the side ofthe suspension 3. For instance, actuator driving wires 52 including agrounding wire may be used as shown in FIG. 2. In this case, thegrounding wire may be connected to either the conductive suspension 3 oran electrical conductor at a ground potential (an HDD package, etc.). Inthe former case, a grounding wire drawn out of somewhere in theinterconnecting pattern may be connected to the suspension 3, as is thecase with a grounding wire 90 of FIG. 10. In the latter case, thesuspension 3 is not necessarily an electrical conductor. If thegrounding wire is utilized, it is thus possible to minimizemodifications to the fabrication step for connecting the slider 2 to aground. In addition, since the bonding of the actuator 4 to thesuspension 3 can be carried out using an ordinary adhesive agent, it ispossible to make adhesion strength higher than achieved with anelectrically conductive adhesive agent.

The magnetic head according to the third aspect of the inventioncomprises an interconnecting pattern including a wire for electricalconnection to an electromagnetic transducer element and a grounding wirefor electrical connection to a slider. This interconnecting patterncomprises a close-contact wire in close contact with the suspension anda floating wire extending away from the suspension to the slider. Theclose-contact wire is movable and/or deformable in the displacementdirection of the slider by the actuator.

One exemplary arrangement of the third aspect of the invention is shownin FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a plan view of a slider 2 attached to a suspension3 by way of an actuator 4, as viewed from the side of the suspension 3opposite to a medium.

As shown in FIG. 7, there is provided an interconnecting patterncomprising a flexible wiring substrate 51 including a signal wire forelectrical connection to an electromagnetic transducer element on aslider 2. This interconnecting pattern is constructed of a close-contactwire 5A in close contact with the surface of a suspension 3 and afloating wire 5B extending away from the suspension 3 to at the slider2. In FIG. 7, reference numeral 52 indicates an actuator driving wirelocated in close contact with the surface of the suspension 3.

The interconnecting pattern comprising close-contact wire 5A andfloating wire 5B is provided by forming the close-contact wirecomprising a flexible wiring substrate on the surface of the suspension3 opposite to a medium and then removing a leading end portion of thesuspension 3, thereby placing a part of the close-contact wire in afloating state. In the illustrated arrangement, a terminal electrodegroup 94 comprising four terminal electrodes is previously formed on theleading end portion of the flexible wiring substrate. Then, a part ofthe leading end portion of the suspension 3 is removed in such a waythat the vicinity of the terminal electrode group 94 is left as aterminal electrode sheet 32. Subsequently, the floating wire 5B iscurved or bent toward the side of the slider 2 so that the terminalelectrode sheet 32 is bonded to the back surface of the slider 2 and theterminal electrode group 94 is connected to a terminal electrode groupon the slider 2. It is noted, however, that it is not an essentialrequirement to form the terminal electrode sheet 32; that is, it isacceptable to connect the floating wire 5B directly to the terminalelectrode group on the slider 2. Removal of a part of the suspension 3,for instance, may be achieved by punching or wet etching.

In FIG. 7, the floating wire 5B is formed in such a way that it isconnectable to the terminal electrode group on the slider 2, and movableand/or deformable in the displacement direction of the slider 2 by theactuator 4 while placed in the thus connected state. Accordingly, thefloating wire 5B is unlikely to provide any impediment to thedisplacement capability of the actuator 4.

The interconnecting pattern comprising close-contact wire 5A andfloating wire 5B includes a grounding wire 90 in addition to the signalwire 51 for electrical connection to the electromagnetic transducerelement. The grounding wire 90 is connected at one end to a groundingelectrode 91 in juxtaposition with the terminal electrode group 94formed on the floating wire 5B and at the other end to an electricalconductor at a ground potential (an HDD package, etc.). The groundingelectrode 91 is electrically connected to the slider 2 by means of anelectrically conductive adhesive agent, a gold ball or the like; thatis, the slider 2 can be connected to a ground.

In the arrangement of FIG. 7, the grounding electrode 91 on the floatingwire 5B is electrically connected to the surface of the slider 2 onwhich the electromagnetic transducer element is formed. When alow-resistance ceramic material such as Al₂O₃—TiC is not exposed on thatsurface, however, it may be connected to the side of the slider 2 onwhich the low-resistance ceramic material is exposed by altering theposition of the grounding electrode 91 as shown in FIG. 8. If thegrounding electrode 91 on the floating wire 5B is connected to theslider 2 by way of a lead 8 as shown in FIG. 9, it is then possible toselect the site for connection to the slider in a relatively freemanner.

According to the third aspect of the invention, a flexible wire like theaforesaid floating wire 5B is used to connect the slider 2 to a ground,and so the displacement capability of the actuator 4 is hardly impairedupon the slider 2 connected to a ground. When the slider 2 is connectedto a ground, it is not necessary to alter the structure of the actuator4. As compared with other aspects, this aspect can be carried out with amore reduced number of steps and so is best suited for automation.

Another exemplary arrangement of the third aspect of the invention isshown in FIG. 10. As shown in FIG. 10, a grounding wire 90 led out of aclose-contact wire 5A is fixed at its end to a suspension 3 by means ofan electrically conductive adhesive agent 7 b. In this arrangement, thesuspension 3 is made up of an electrically conductive material.Otherwise, the arrangement of FIG. 10 is the same as that of FIG. 8.

According to yet another arrangement of the third aspect of theinvention, the close-contact wire 5A may be formed on the surface of thesuspension 3 facing away from the medium. The floating wire 5Bcontiguous to this close-contact wire 5A is then allowed to go over thesuspension 3 and terminate at the slider 2.

In the magnetic head according to the fourth aspect of the invention, aleading end portion of a suspension is curved or bent toward the side ofthe slider and has a flexible region that is movable and/or deformablein the displacement direction of a slider by an actuator. Aninterconnecting pattern located in close contact with the surface of theflexible region includes a wire for electrical connection to anelectromagnetic transducer element and a grounding wire for electricalconnection to the slider.

The magnetic head according to the fourth aspect of the invention may befabricated by a process similar to that for the magnetic head accordingto the third aspect of the invention. Referring back to FIG. 7illustrative of the third aspect of the invention, the terminalelectrode sheet 32 is completely separate from the suspension 3. Whenthe magnetic head according to the fourth aspect is fabricated, however,it is acceptable to bring the terminal electrode sheet 32 in partialcontact with the suspension 3, thereby allowing the aforesaidinterconnecting pattern to come in close contact with that area ofpartial contact. Then, the leading end portion of the suspension iscurved or bent in such a way that the terminal electrode sheet goes overan actuator 4 and reaches a slider 2, as in the case of the terminalelectrode sheet 32 shown in FIG. 7. For this arrangement, it is requiredthat the leading end portion of the suspension be of rigidity low enoughto be curved or bent as mentioned above and be movable and/or deformablein the displacement direction of the slider by the actuator. Theflexible region having such low rigidity may be formed by etching bothends of the leading end portion of the suspension after theclose-contact wire is formed as mentioned above. Alternatively, it isacceptable to use a suspension pre-configured to such a shape as havinga leading end portion of reduced rigidity. In the fourth aspect of theinvention, too, it is not an essential requirement to form the terminalelectrode sheet 32 as in the case of the third aspect of the invention.

While explanation has been made with reference to the HDD magnetic headout of write/read heads, it is understood that the present invention mayalso be applied to an optical disk system. A conventional optical disksystem makes use of an optical pickup comprising an optical moduleincluding at least a lens. This optical pickup is so designed that thelens can be mechanically controlled so as to be focused on the recordingsurface of the optical disk. In recent years, near field recording hasbeen proposed to achieve ever-higher optical disk recording densities(“NIKKEI ELECTRONICS”, 1997.6.16 (No. 691), page 99). This near fieldrecording makes use of a flying head similar to that for a flyingmagnetic head. Built in this slider is an optical module comprising ahemispherical lens called a solid immersion lens or SIL, a magneticfield modulation recording coil, and a prefocusing lens. Another flyinghead for near field recording is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,497,359.With higher recording densities, such a flying head, too, isincreasingly required to have higher tracking precision as in the caseof an HDD magnetic head. Thus, the micro-displacement actuator is alsoeffective for the flying head. Accordingly, the present invention mayalso be applied to such a write/read head (optical-head) for opticalrecording media.

More generally, the optical head to which the present invention can beapplied comprises a slider similar to that in the aforesaid magnetichead, with an optical module built therein, or a slider which is initself constructed of an optical module. The optical module comprises atleast a lens, if required, with a lens actuator and a magnetic fieldgenerating coil incorporated therein. Such an optical head, forinstance, includes not only a flying head for near field recording suchas one mentioned just above but also an optical head wherein a slider isslidable on the surface of a recording medium, i.e., a pseudo-contacttype or contact type optical head. To have an easy understanding of thecase where the present invention is applied to the optical head, theelectromagnetic transducer element in the foregoing explanation shouldbe read as an optical head. It is understood that the present inventionmay be applied to a pseudo-contact type or contact type magnetic head aswell.

Conceptually, the term “write/read head” used herein shall include awrite/read head, a write-only head, and a read-only head. Likewise, theterm “write/read system” used herein shall include a write/read system,a write-only system, and a read-only system. The term “recording medium”used herein, too, shall include a read-only type medium such as aread-only optical disk in addition to a recordable medium.

ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION

In the write/read head supporting mechanism of the invention, the slidercan be connected to a ground without detriment to the displacementcapability of the actuator, and so any electrostatic breakdown of theelectromagnetic transducer element or optical module can be preventedwithout sacrificing their positioning precision.

What we claim is:
 1. A write/read head supporting mechanism comprising:a slider including an electromagnetic transducer element or an opticalmodule; a suspension for supporting the slider and including a groundregion; and a microactuator having a fixed part and a movable part andbeing disposed between the slider and the suspension for displacing saidslider, wherein at least a part of said microactuator includes anelectrically conductive region, and the ground region of said suspensionis electrically connected to said slider by said electrically conductiveregion of said microactuator, such that the slider is grounded so as toprevent an electrostatic breakdown of the electromagnetic transducerelement or the optical module, wherein a ground electrode of saidmicroactuator extending between said fixed part and said movable part isutilized as said electrically conductive region of the microactuator,and wherein the ground electrode of the microactuator on the side of themovable part is electrically connected to the slider, and the groundelectrode on the side of the fixed part is electrically connected to theground region of the suspension without any detriment to thedisplacement capability of the microactuator.
 2. A write/read systemcomprising: a write/read head supporting mechanism including, a sliderincluding an electromagnetic transducer element or an optical module, asuspension for supporting the slider and including a ground region, anda microactuator having a fixed part and a movable part and beingdisposed between the slider and the suspension for displacing saidslider, wherein at least a part of said microactuator includes anelectrically conductive region, and the ground region of said suspensionis electrically connected to said slider by said electrically conductiveregion of said microactuator, such that the slider is grounded so as toprevent an electrostatic breakdown of the electromagnetic transducerelement or the optical module, wherein a ground electrode of saidmicroactuator extending between said fixed part and said movable part isutilized as said electrically conductive region of the microactuator,and wherein the ground electrode of the microactuator on the side of themovable part is electrically connected to the slider, and the groundelectrode on the side of the fixed part is electrically connected to theground region of the suspension without any detriment to thedisplacement capability of the microactuator.